Combined car and grain door.



R O JOHNSON & D S McEWING GOMBINED CAR AND GRAIN DOOR.

' APPLICATION FILED 001 28 1909 1,022,422.

%flzza/ 7W 1! $4 Maw y W in ,w

m s z R. G. JGHNSON & MQBWING.

COMBINED CAR AND GRAIN DOOR.

APPLIGATIOfI FILED OUT. 28, 1909.

Pafiented Apr. 9, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. G JOHNSON (in D: S. MQEWING.

COMBINED CAR AND GRAIN DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 001228, 1909.

Patented Apr. 9, 1K2.

4 SEIIETS-SHEET 3.

"T": w #1 w Q ms 75 122 6129651 ,Jfiz /eizfaii R. G. JOHNSON &'D. S. MQEWING.

, co'mBINEn GAR AND GRAIN DOOR. APPLIOAIIbN rILEb 0012s, 1909.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

4 SKEETSSHEET 4.

UNITED STA E PATENT QFFICER ROBERT C. JOHNSON AND DUNCAN S.' McEWING or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS} 1 Y COMBINED CAR AND GRAIN noon,

To all whom it may canoe Be it known that W6,ROBERT C; JOHNSON ZHIClDUNCAN S. MoEwmo citizens of the United S :tes, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of" Illinois, have invented a certain ne and useful Improvement Gombined Liar and Grain Doors, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

-In shipping grain-in bulk in freight cars it has heretofore been necessary to provide an auxiliary door within each of the main door openings in order to afford asufliciently' tight closure to prevent leakage of grain; the usual car door being inadequate to seal the door opening sufiiciently'. Another reason for the use of these, auxiliary grain doors has been to permita closure to be made across the lower half of the door openlng, leaving the upper half uncovered so as to permit thegrain to be introduced and removed'through the main door opening;

The particular object of our invention is to provide a simple and novel construction and arrangement which will make it possible to use a single door which will serve both as a car door and as a graindoor.

A further object of our invention is to provide a simple and novel arrangement for locking a combined car and a single lock or seal.

A further object of our invention is to provide a combined car and grain door which may be built up of structural iron or steel without requiring especial shapes.

A subsidiary object of our invention is to provide simple means. for remodeling old cars so as to equip them with single doors whichwill serve as car and grain doors.

The variousfeat-ures of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will herein-' after be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of our invention and of its object and advantages, reference maybe had to the following detailed description taken" in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is the side ofva fragment of agrcar equipped in accordance-'with the prese'nt invention; Fig. 2 is an inside view-{of the door; Fig. 3 1s asection taken onhne 33 Specification of Letters Patent.

grain door with Patented Apr. 9, 1912-. Application filed oetober'as, 1909. Serial "no. 525,045. i

of F 2; F ig. 4 is atop plan View of the being omitted; Fig. 5 is a section taken on. llne 5+5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 1s a sectlon taken on line 66 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fi 2' Fi 8 is a seetion' taken. on line 8- 8 of Fig. 4 showing,

.viewed from the right in Fig. 1, the stationary guide for the lower part of fhe door being shown in section; Fig. 10 is a section taken near the opposite edge of the door from that shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is 'a'se'c tion taken on line 1111 of Fig. 10; Fig; 12 is a View on an enlarged scaleshowing the locking means, parts being broken awa Fig. 13 is a View looking toward the left Fig. 12; and Fig. 14 is a'view siin Fig. 12 showing the locking parts; in ferent positions. i

In the drawings we have illustrated our invention" as applied to an ordinarywooden box car and, for the sake of brevity, we shall describe in detail'only this arrangementi j'it -side of the car shown in Fig. 1, the roofing being, of course, understood that th same construction may be embodied in' cars of any type, particularly when itis placed 'inposition at the time the cars arebein 'g built.

Referring to the drawings, A and A represent door posts of angle iron. A is another upright angle iron placed at one;

car and" Bi is one of the longitudinal roof-supporting members at the top of the car, the-latter z member being shown as in the form of angle iron. I In reconstructing. old cars the ordinar If desired, a diagonaFstrut-aA 2:

wooden door posts and a portion of the sid ing at one sideofEtliev "door may be' removed and the members A to A secured in place upon the members B and B sheathed on the inside, a portion of the sheathing at the rearedgeof the door opening is also, removed. v

The door post-A is stiliened by means ofa. second vertical angle iron: A secured to the innersidesthereof and.at-s oine dis tia ttb'e" fromithe edge of=the door opening," thu"s providing an "abutment" 'against which the If the car'is" via edge of the door may bear-when the door is ,closed and also providing a shoulder on the inside of the door post against which the vface of the door may rest.

Directly in rear of the door post A we have arranged an upright member AF, preferably, though not necessarily, T-shaped in cross section; The member A is spaced apartf'roin the. door post sufiiciently to permit the door to slide between them.

Secured to the rear face of the post A is an upright member A preferably Z-shaped in -cross section.

C represents sheathing extending between the members A and A? and reaching from the floor of the car to the roof. It will be seen that the members A and A together with the sheathing form a housing into which the car door may slide without interference on the part of the contents of the I If desired, the carsiding may be replaced between the posts A and A although this is not necessary if the sheathing is made sufficiently tight and durable The doorwhich we desire to use is of peculiar constructlon I and is shown' most clearly in Figs.- 2 and 3. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that the door is made irons more than half way toward the top, leaving an open space in the upper portion of the frame. F, F and F are transverse stifiening pieces extending transversely of.

the plate and riveted thereto and to the side angle irons. G is a sheet metal plate which fitsthe opening in the upper portion of the frame and overlaps both of-the sideangle irons. provided with a downwardly-projecting offset portion G which overlaps the upperedge of the plate E and makes a tlght joint when-the plates 1*) and G lie in the same plane. vThe member G'is intended to form an auxiliary door-"which may be opened independently of the main door and to this grid it is supported by means of hinges, H,

- ably in the form'of elongated straps, h, 71

and H one-half ofeach of which is sejcured thereto and the other half to the angle iron D The portions of the hinges which are-secured to "the auxiliary door are preferand 71. which extend from the top to the bot-.

tom of the auxiliary door and serve as braces. The parts are so arranged that whenthe auxiliary door is closed it fonns'a v continuation of the plate E andf,fwhen it is opened, it swings into the interior of the car. ,Theedge of the auxiliary door maycome into close proximityito the flange d opening G Atits lower end the member G is on the angle iron D but, as will hereinafter appearflt is necessary to provide-a clearance between the flange (Z of the angle iron D and the other edge of the auxiliary door, this latter edge terminating with the strap or hinge member 78. In one of the upper corners of the auxiliary door we cut an opening G which will give access to the interior of the car without opening either the main door or the main auxiliary door. I is a plate which is so" shapedthat it will just fit into the This plate is supported from the hinges H and H which are suitably constructed for this purpose. The hinge straps h and hti'vhich are secured to the auxiliary door I extend beyond the side edges thereof as indicated in F igs. 1 and 7, so as toform ab'utments to limit the angular movement of the door I in the outward direction. A third strap h is secured along the lower edge of the door I so as to projectslightly below it. It will be seen that-the straps 72, and if not only serve as abutments to limit the swinging movement of the door, but they alsoserve to seal the joint about the side and bottom edges thereof. It is also desirable to have an auxiliary door near the floor. of the car and to this end we cut an opening E in the plate E beneath the transverse brace F v A frame is formed about this opening by means of an angle iron K secured to the underside of the member F a Z-shaped member K secured to the lower frame member D (which overlies and is secured to the plate ,E) and two Z-shaped members K and K these latter members extending longitudinally of the' door and overlapping the ends of the members K and K. L is an auxiliary door which lies on the inside of the plate E and bears against the vertical flanges of the members-K and K The length of this auxiliary door is such that it overlaps the horizontal flanges of the members K and K L is a plate secured to the door L and shaped so as to fit between and lie in the same'plane as the inner flanges of the member's K and K The plate L is, therefore, of less width than thedoor, measured in the vertical direction, but it extends entirely from one end\of the door to; the

other: consequently the space between the flanges 75 and 72 and the auxiliary door is filled by the .plateL "and an exceedingly tight joint is obtained; The door I; may conveniently be supported in place by means of a rod Z which vpasses through a tubular portion l 'formed at the upper edge of the door by bending the plate of which the door is constructed, the ends of this rod passing 7 through the members K and K It-will thus be seen that the auxiliary door 'L' is hinged so asjto swing outwardly. In order.

to prevent this auxiliary door from swinging' outwardly accidentally, a dog M may be pivoted on' "the outside thereof near the lower edge .in, position to drop between the.

member. K and the plate E when freeto do so. It-wil-l be seen that the hinge of the aux-' auxiliary door so that even if the bin e.

shown should become loose, the door con (1 not beopened'under a 11o.

pressure from the inside of the car. 4

- The-doormay conveniently be supported upon hangers of any suitable type and carrying rollers which run upon a trackway suitably supported on the inside of the roofsupporting member B. A suitable arran ement is indicated most'clearly in Fig.

- 8, representing an angleiron secured on the inside of the angle iron B and having a horizontal flangen-which may. serve as a track. -O .is a hanger carrying a roller 0 I which rides u on the flange n, this hanger being secured in any suitable way tOthQ' top angle iron 11): of. the door. As manyQof these hangers as desiredinay be employed.

In order to keep the rollers upon the track a plate 1? may' be secured in any suitable way immediately adjacent to .the' inner edge of the angle iron B end consequently in close proximity to the'inner faces of the hangers. This may conveniently be accom-- 1 .plishedby securing the plate at its ends to the upright members A and A, respectively,3as indicated in Fig. When the door is slidback into the housing displacement of the rollers from the track is prevented by-mean's of the sheathing.

The flbottom edge of the door. may

guided an suitable'way as, for example,

by providing it with a groove which receives a cleat or .rib secured to the floor of j the can. In the arrangement shown, the groove is formed by means of the. frame member. Dfat the bottom of the door, the

peculiar shape of this-member providing a groove between the. inner face of the, plate E and the downwardly-dependingflange d Secured to the floor of the caris a member 'R which extends through the housing and across the door opening. 1 Thismember is provided with an upwardly-projecting flange-r which is received in the groove in "the bottom of the door,.' serving not only to keepthe door and hold it in proper -alin'e-- inent, but also to make a tight joint through which grain or the like cannot pass. Fig. 5- the door is shown in its closed position' and it'will be seenthattheflanged of I the'f'angle iron 'D', forming one side of the door frame,-overlaps a portlon of'the post A and thus serves to close the housing at this end against 'tlrefentrance' of grain. In

order to seal the h'oiisingat the bottom of the door we prefer to makethe member R at this point equal-inwidth'to the space between the'posts A Af, while that portion thereof within the housing is much nar rower.' The lower end of the angle iron D is'so shaped that it abuts against the'end of the wideportion of the cleat R and, there fore, in order that grain may enter the housing, it must ass downwardly between the end and the side of the angle iron and, then beneath the'angle iron. This feature is more fully illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11, Fig. 9 showingthe angle iron D which is cut off so as to ride over the Wide portion of .the cleat. In Fig. 11 it will be seenthat the flange d abutsagainstthe end of the en'- larged portion of the'cleat, the only direct passage through this angle iron into the housing being around the raised rib or lip 7'; and, because this lip or rib issurrounded onthree sides by the plate E" and the member I)", it will be very difficult for grain or the like to force a passage into the housing.-

It is desirable to provide means for lock-' ing the main door in'its closed position and also the auxiliary doors against movement relative to-the main door in such a manner that only a single lock or seal need be used.

In Figs. 1 and 12 to 14 we have shown suchshaft S is provided with a pair of radiallyextending arms 8 which are adapted to engage with the outside of thedoor L in one positionof the shaft and hold the door L -1o against outward movement. The shaft may be provided with a third arm-s which engages withl'the plate E of the door at a point adjacent to the door post A at the same time that the arms .9 engage with the door L. If it is attempted to slide the main door open when the arm 8 is in the position described, the edge of the flange d of the angle iron D .will strike against the. side of this arm and preventfthe door from being "opened. At the endoffthe shaftadjacent to the post A is a radially-projecting arm S which is. adapted to be engaged by a gravity dog T pivoted on. the post and to be.

held thereby in the latter position; The

dog T'may be lockedby anauxiliary dog t which hangs above it-.. Theauxiliary dog is not absolutely essential, however. Near the lower rear corner the auxiliary door I is pivoted a 'swinging 'gatcl1 U which, when in the position shown in Fig. 12, overlaps the surrounding portion of the main auxiliary.

door and prevents thedoor I from swing ing inwardly. A similar catch Vis 'mount-.

ed upon the lower endofthe main auxiliary door G in: position to overlap the plate E when theparts are. adjusted as shown in Fig. 12, a'ndpreventthis door/from swinging inwardly Stops u, al and 'v,'-'v are providedfor limitin the movementoffthe catches U and V-so they will either lie movement.

in'the locking position or in theunlocking position and will remain in any position into which they are moved. It willbe seen thatif means are provided for locking the catches U and V in the positions indicated in Fig. 12, it will be impossible .to open the auxiliary door until these catches are released. ,To this end we have mounted upon the post A a vertically-slidable and revoluble shaft or rod W which is provided with arms 1/) and to which areadapted to engagewith the catches in one position of the rod or shaft and lock the catches against The catch U is provided with a shoulder a which faces upwardly when the 'catchfiis in locking position, and the catch Vis provided with a similar shoulder 1) -'The members 20 and .10 are provided with recesses 10 and w respectively, in which the shoulders a and oiare received.

Furthermore, these recesses permit the mem-' here 20 and 10 to overlie the sides of the catches. It will beseen that when the parts are he'ld in the position shown in Fig. 12 it I is not only impossibleto open the doors I and G but, it is also impossible to slide the main door in thedirectioii to. uncover the door opening since the catches abut against the ends of the members to and w which through an opening 6 in the dog T, through the loop X and beneath thejaws 1 and y.

' It is now llllpOSSlble to lift the shaft or rod or to rotate the same and it is likewise impossible to lift the dog T so as to release the shaft S. The pin Z may be held against displacement in any suitable manner as, for example, by means of. a seal J which passes through an opening 11 in the jaw 2/ and.

through an opening 2 in the end of the locking pin. If the locking pin should become lost it will be seen that the seal could be threaded through the jaw 1 through the loop, through the dog T, and through the post so that it would be impossible to un- "locln the doors without breaking the seal.

When itis desired to release the auxiliary doors G and I, the locking pin Z is removed and the shaft W is raised so that thecatohes -U and V can be thrown back. ,These auxiliarydoo 'sfcan now be actuated but the main door and'the lower auxiliary door will still be locked by the shaft S. If it is desired to open the main door the dogT must also be lifted so as to permit the shaft S to be swung intoits inoperative position. In this case,'also, the shaftWV should not only vmain door is closed.

)oe raised but it should also be rotated'as i'nd icated in Figrl t-so as to permit the lower be swung into its inoperative position. In this position of the parts there ,is no danger that any portion? of the doors will catch on the members w and w.

It' will now be seen that the auxiliary .doors may be actuated independently of the main door and while the main door is locked so that access may be had to the car without danger of causing the main door to open in case the car should be moved about after the auxiliary doors are unlocked.

By examining Fig. 5 it will be seen that the auxiliary door Gr must clear the postA if it is desired to open this door while the Consequently it is necessary toprovide a clearance between the rear edge of the auxiliary door and the flange of the aiigle'iron which engages with the post A since otherwise the post would lock the door in its closed position.

.IVhile we have illustrated and described in detail and with particularity only a single preferred form of our invention, we do not desire to be. limited to the particular construction and arrangement of partsgso illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications which fall within the terms employed in the definitions of our invention I constituting the appended claims.

. hat we claim is: I 1.. In combination, a car having the usual side door opening, a main door, means for mounting -the door on the .car so as tobe movable into a position wherein it completely closes the door opening and into a position wherein it leaves the door opening uncovered. a portion of the door extending substantially across the entire-width thereof near the top of the door being made mov-' able with respect to tlieremainder of the door so as to provide an auxiliary door opening, said portion of the door being mounted on andsupported by the door itself said movable portion of the door having an opening therethrough, and an auxiliary door for closing the latter opening. 3 2. In combination, a car havin' tl slida-bly mounting the door on'the car "so as to be movable into. a position wherein it completely closes the said opening and a y H ie usual side door opening, a main door,' -in'eans for position wherein it leaves the' op'ening. uii' covered, the upper portion. of the door being made movable relative-to the remainder of .the doorand hinged thereto at the top so as to swing inwardly said upper portion of the door having an.o-peningtherethrough In combination, a .car' having the usual side door-opening, a main. door arranged on the inside of the car, means for slidably mounting the door so as to be movable into a position wherein it completely closes said door openingand' into a position wherein it leaves theopening uncovered, a housing arranged. at one side of the door opening within the car, said housing being sufficiently large to receive the door when is moved so as to uncover the door opening said main door having an auxiliary door n gvably mounted thereon near the upper end.

i. A car door comprising an open rectangular frame, a metal sheet secured to said frame, said sheet being of such size and shape as to close the'opening in the frame except at one end thereof, an auxiliary door fitting in that portion of the opening left uncovered by said sheet, hinges joining said auxiliary door to the frame and a portion of the auxiliary door adjacent to the free edge being offset so as to overlap said sheet while the remainder of the auxiliary door lies in the plane of said sheet.

5. In a car -door, an open rectangular frame formed of angle iron, a metal sheet secured to said frame, said sheet being as wide as the frame but shorter so as to leave an opening at one end of the frame, an auxiliary sheet lying in said opening, hinges connecting said auxiliary sheet to said frame, and one of said sheets being offsetadjacent to the meeting edges so as to perinit it to overlap the other while both sheets lie in the same plane. Y

.. 6. In combination, a car havlng the usual side door opening, a rigid combined car and grain door of alsize'completely to close said ranged upon the exterior of the car below the door opening, a second locking bar, means associated with said bars forlocking the main door and the auxiliary door, and, a locking device common to both of said bars for locking them. against movement.

7. A car door comprising an open mar gular frame, a metal sheet secured to said" frame so as to close the opening therein,- said sheet having a portion removed at the top to provide an auxiliary door opening, an auxiliary door fitting insaid opening, saidv auxiliary door having an opening therein, a second auxiliary door shaped to close the latter opening, and a common hinge connecting said auxiliary doors to said frame.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT C. JOHNSON. I DUNCAN S. MCEWING. Witnesses:

WM. F. FREUDENREIOH, AUGUST MISICKA. 

